Knowing what you know now, would you do it again?

I have a few thoughts on this topic…

Exec Summary aka (TL;DR):

1. Education: “Today’s world changes faster than most college curriculums; create programs directly focused on fulfilling the company’s emerging talent needs.”

2. Recruiting: Adjust recruitment to recognize alternative education and experience and remove barriers to talent acquisition. Apply this strategy equitably and universally.

3. #ROI: Is it positive? Research the expected financial or intangible gains.

4. Mutually Exclusive: There is a place for both, with Pros and cons.

5. Upskill resources (subscribers will receive this in the e-newsletter)

1. Education has come a long way with MOOCs, professional certificates, condensed MBAs etc. Continued innovation should meet the needs of students, working professionals and industries.

I have only considered programs with a co-op or professional experience opportunity.

“Almost 50% of college graduates did not apply to ENTRY LEVEL jobs because they felt under-qualified due to lack of experience.”

2. After my MBA Essentials certificate from the Rotman School of Management, the class questioned if the certificate would be recognized professionally. This disconnect concerns many students in upskilling programs. Professional industries & schools need to align. Revisit #1, & hiring managers should ensure recruitment practices reflect changing professional development programs.

Additionally, skills based-hiring should be an equal opportunity system.

3. ROI: If the investment > the returns, consider whether pursuing that credential or degree is worth it.

“Only 25% of degree graduates would pursue the same educational path.”

Do market research through labour and job boards. Examine career projections and job market outlook.

“The total amount of student loans owed to the federal government in ‘20=$22.3 billion. This doesn’t include provincial & personal loans, lines of credit and education-related credit-card debt. In #Canada, the avg student loan debt is now:

$28K for a bachelor’s degree and

$15.3K for college grads.”

Tuition in Oct 2022 increased to 5.7%.

In the ‘20-’21 school yr, 61% of all loan recipients were #women.

Medical students’ median debt was $90k in 2022.

In 2018, almost 1/5 insolvencies were caused by student debt.

It takes 10 yrs, on avg, to repay student loans in Canada.

4. Mutually exclusive or completmentary?:

As someone in a skill-based field, solely focusing on “hard skills” focused boot camps, certificate programs etc., does not address the “human/soft” skills needed to navigate the professional world. During both degrees, crafting well-supported & articulated arguments in my academic papers, reading and synthesizing academic journals, crafting online discussion posts, etc., contributed to developing my communication, criticalthinking, and “other” soft skills.

Which route is the best?

Would you do it again?

It is ultimately a personal choice, and hopefully, an informed one.